Despite being a bit on the bulky side, the Vaio F did well in nearly every department--until we got to the battery test. It used to be common for big-screen multimedia/gaming laptops to run for only about an hour, but since Intel's current-gen Core i-series CPUs hit last year, scores have risen across the board. So, it was disappointing to see this 16-inch laptop run for only 1 hour and 44 minutes on our video-playback battery-drain test.
The Sony Vaio F Series is backed by an industry-standard, one-year mail-in warranty. Upgrading to a three-year mail-in plan is an extra $179, or $329 with accidental damage protection. Support is accessible 24-7 via a toll-free phone line, an online knowledge base, and a Web site with driver downloads. Sony's support sites are clean and easy to navigate.
For a den or dorm room, the big-boned Vaio F could find a good home as a Blu-ray or gaming center, but the large footprint and premium price also mean that the potential audience is somewhat limited, and you may be better served by a thinner high-end 15-inch laptop or an even larger desktop replacement.
Benchmark testing by Julie Rivera
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test laptops.
System configurations:
Sony Vaio VPC-F236FM
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 540M + 64MB Intel HD; 640GB Toshiba 7,200rpm
Dell XPS 15Z
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.7GHz Intel Core i7-2620M; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 2GB Nvidia GeForce GT 525M / 64MB (Shared) Intel HD 3000; 750GB Seagate 7,200rpm
Lenovo Ideapad G770
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.3GHz Intel Core i5-2410M; 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 1GB Nvidia GeForce 410M; 500GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
HP Pavillion dv7-6b55dx
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-2430M; 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB Intel HD 3000; 750GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
Toshiba Satellite P775-S7320
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) w/ SP1; 2.2GHz Intel Core i7-2670QM; 6GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,333MHz; 64MB Intel HD 3000; 750GB Hitachi 5,400rpm
